Zombie Boy Archives

Even Marmaduke Got Rejected

I found this note attached with a rusty staple to a completely finished Marmaduke daily from 1958, and thought I would share it with you. The unassuming square of paper is a rejection note from an unknown syndicate editor giving the man behind Marmaduke, Brad Anderson, a kick in his acorns for his “preposterous” comic strip submission. Anderson began his strip in 1954, so this strip was created four years into its run, a run that has lasted almost 60 years and continues to this day. It just goes to show that no matter how high up into the mountains you climb, you still have to deal with a few critical Yetis along the way! I know this editor was just doing his job, but I have to say Mr. Anderson probably knows a thing or two about squeezing the juice out of a gag, and I thought the strip was perfectly fine as it was. Still, it’s a fun find, something you don’t see every day.

I really liked the early Marmaduke when he was kind of mean and tough. I think if the creative and the talented actually made the entertainment decisions we’d all be a lot more entertained. I guess having someone else to handle the drudgery is the trade off, but they shouldn’t also be in charge.

In this case Brad Anderson had submitted a completely finished strip, but the editor shot it down. I guess if he decides not to pay for it, it doesn’t run. Seems maybe in a strip’s early days the syndicate has a lot more say in what goes through.

You’re welcome, Hjortur. It made me realize that no one is immune to criticism and rejection. If top name artists can experience it, it can happen to everyone. That’s why it’s so important to believe in yourself and your work and persevere. No one will ever believe in you more than you believe in yourself.